As a child growing up in rural Maine, I
was captivated by the glamour of the movies. On a cold and dreary Saturday, a ten-cent
admission to the Empire Theater transported me to worlds I could scarcely imagine.
The elegant insouciance of
William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man, the refinement of Fred Astaire and
Ginger Rogers dancing their way through Fying Down to Rio, and the sophistication
of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy in The Philadelphia Story all seemed
impossibly remote when compared to my own life. Yet fantasy came crashing into reality the
day my grandmother came home with her new vacuum coffee pot. It was identical to the
coffee pot Katharine Hepburn used
in her film Woman of the Year with such hilarious results. It was with newfound
respect that I stood beside my grandmother’s white porcelain kitchen stove while she
brewed the coffee each morning. As a child who had not yet learned to appreciate the
pleasures of drinking coffee, I nevertheless watched with wonder the enchanting ballet of
flowing liquids that made up the brewing process. This early introduction to the vacuum
method of brewing coffee, and her "Genuine Vaculator" Pot are now two of my most
cherished possessions.
The Vacuum
Pot encompasses all the elements of the perfect coffee maker and has recently regained
some of its former popularity among the coffee cognoscenti. The brewing occurs at an
ideal temperature of about 200ºF. The large brewing chamber allows the grounds ample room
to swell and permits optimal flavor extraction. The brewed coffee is then separated from
the grounds rapidly, with the best designed filters allowing the desirable oils and
colloids to remain in the brew while not contributing any off-flavors. The result is a
richly flavored cup of coffee which perfectly captures the vibrancy and complexity of the
finest beans.
But the charm of the Vacuum Coffee Pot transcends its ability to brew fine coffee.
For me it exemplifies a fundamental characteristic of the emerging American psyche: the
eager embrace of technology in all its incarnations. Having come victoriously through two
world wars, Americans looked forward to a bright and prosperous future. And this optimism
was reflected nowhere more brightly than in the gleaming, chrome plated accessories that
filled the kitchens of the era: curvaceous electric toasters, jittering pressure cookers,
and the chic new Vacuum Coffee Pots.
Adapted from a design developed around 1840 by Scottish naval engineer
Robert Napier, the Vacuum Pot, in its earliest form, is an alchemist’s dream: two
graceful, glass globes are fitted together with scientific precision, a unique filtering
mechanism is inserted, and the whole assembly is perched above a fluttering spirit lamp. A
precise juggling of liquids and air pressure transforms plain water and ground
coffee into liquid gold.
A more workaday style of Vacuum Pot was manufactured in America throughout the
first half of the century by a number of companies, including Silex, Cafex, Cory, and
General Electric. Most were made of Pyrex or similar heat-proof glass, with molded black
or white plastic handles. Fancier models sported platinum stripes or applied ornamentation
and some came equipped with a coordinating decanter cover, coffee measure, or other
accessories. While many Vacuum Pots were designed to be used on the stovetop, later models
often included special electric heating elements with a self-timing feature to simplify
the brewing process. As electric kitchen appliance technology developed, all-chrome and
chrome and glass automatic models were produced by Sunbeam and Westinghouse with
integrated electric elements to compete with the electric percolator.
The main distinguishing
feature between Vacuum Pots made by the various manufacturers is the filter mechanism. The
simplest design was composed of a cloth filter stretched around a wire frame. With
repeated use, the cloth became discolored and, unless faithfully laundered, would
eventually taint the flavor of the coffee. Other filter designs involved ceramic or metal
parts and enjoyed varying degrees of success. A major innovation in filter design was the
patented Glass Filter Rod sold by the Cory company. A glass rod with a textured, bulbous
center was the model of simplicity, yet made an effective and easily cleaned filter for
Vacuum Pot brewing. A variation on this design with a metal spring-lock to hold the filter
in place was marketed by the Silex Company, but the all-glass Cory filter remained popular
promising coffee "untouched by metal." Today’s environmentally conscious
coffee consumers will recognize the appeal of this reusable filter design.
Brewing coffee in
a Vacuum Pot is an easily mastered process. Water is placed in the lower globe, and finely
ground coffee in the funnel-like upper globe (one to two tablespoons per six ounce cup).
The two sections are then fitted together and placed over high heat. As the water is
heated, steam is generated which, unable to escape the sealed vessel, exerts pressure on
the surface of the water forcing it up the tube into the upper globe where it mixes with
the coffee (the mixture should be given a quick stir at this point to ensure that all the
grounds are wetted). When the water level in the lower globe falls below the bottom of the
tube, steam is released upwards, agitating the mixture of grounds and hot water. At this
point the heat is lowered, and the coffee is allowed to "gurgle" for one half to
one minute before the pot is removed from the heat. As the pot cools, the steam in the
lower globe condenses forming a substantial vacuum which quickly siphons the brewed coffee
down through the filter and back into the lower globe. The upper globe and spent grounds
are then removed and the coffee, piping hot, is ready to be served.
The only drawback to the Vacuum Pot that I have encountered is figuring out what to
do with the hot and fragile upper globe when it is removed at the end of the brewing
process. This was solved when I bought an old Cory pot with a "safety funnel
holder" -- a plastic base especially designed to hold the upper globe. The more
expensive Cona models currently available have also addressed this problem by
incorporating a funnel holder into the arm that supports the pot over the spirit lamp.
Cleanup is a simple matter of removing the filter, rinsing the grounds out of upper globe,
and then washing the glass parts as usual.
Special care must be taken when
using a Vacuum Pot on an electric stove. An old Silex instruction booklet warns: "Do
not place your Silex directly upon a high speed spiral element or any Electric Kitchen
Range produced after 1939 without using a small grid or asbestos mat." The modern
cook should use a wire trivet or heat diffuser to avoid damaging the glass decanter.
Several contemporary
interpretations of the Vacuum Pot are available in both glass (Bodum $50, Cona $150-$250)
and stainless steel (Flavor-Seal $100), but for me they lack the charm and Art-Deco appeal
of the older pots, which can often be found at flea markets and tag sales for $20-30. When
purchasing a secondhand Vacuum Pot, inspect it carefully for cracks, especially in the
fragile upper globe, and make sure that the rubber gasket is still pliable enough to form
a good seal. I look for pots which are still in their original cardboard boxes, suggesting
that they were used infrequently or carefully stored away after use.
For those looking to add some
nostalgia and perhaps even a bit of drama to their daily ritual, I suggest making coffee
the way my grandmother (and Katharine
Hepburn) did: with freshly ground coffee, cold New England spring water, and a vintage
Vacuum Pot. |
